Kolkata, April 18 -- Former Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh, known for his sharp one-liners and candid remarks, married party colleague Rinku Majumdar in a low-key ceremony at his New Town residence on Friday.
Ghosh and Majumdar had a court marriage followed by a traditional one with rituals, at a small event with only close relatives present on Friday.
It was the 60-year-old groom's first marriage and the second one for Majumdar, who is in her early 50s and has a son from a previous marriage.
From early morning, Ghosh began receiving congratulatory messages from BJP colleagues and political opponents alike. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sent a letter, flowers, and sweets, extending her best wishes to the newlyweds.
Dressed in traditional Bengali groom's attire, Ghosh briefly addressed the media after the rituals, thanking all well-wishers-including the chief minister-and clarified that his marriage would have no bearing on his political career. "I thank everyone for their blessings. My personal life will not impact my political responsibilities," Ghosh said, adding that he fulfilled his mother's long-standing wish by getting married.
"I always put party work first, and that is why I never thought about family. But, I cannot say no to my mother. She wanted me to get married. Then she (Majumdar) proposed, and I accepted. In my life, there are only two women, one is my mother and now my wife," he remarked.
The couple reportedly met during morning walks at Eco Park in 2021 and decided to formalise their relationship earlier this month. "I proposed and I'm proud he eventually accepted," said Majumdar. Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh wished him, while another Trinamool leader Madan Mitra said: "I am happy Dilip da is getting married. I would request Dilip da, he should travel now with boudi."
BJP sources said Ghosh joined the RSS at an early age and worked as a pracharak in different districts of Bengal for a long time. In 2015, he moved to the BJP and was soon made the state party chief. On the other hand Majumdar, who got married for the first time when still in her teens, joined the BJP after working at an NGO for some time.
According to a senior BJP leader, the RSS was a bit hesitant about Ghosh's decision to marry, as he was known for his frequent proclamations earlier about "having no family".
Dilip Ghosh is not alone in tying the knot later in life. Several prominent political figures have followed a similar path. Congress leader Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi married Deepa Dasmunsi in 1994, while Somen Mitra, also from Congress, wed after crossing the age of 50. Similarly, Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandopadhyay chose to marry later in his life and Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury too followed suit with a late marriage.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.